The great stone clock tower stood its silent vigil over all of Sanctuary. Dark night blanketed the endless stairs of the Houses of the Zodiac, the only light that of the distant moon and stars and the eight flames which still burned in their recesses on the marble tower. Eight hours. Time was of the essence, but all Aiolos could focus on was his brother's face.

Dozens of emotions flickered over Aiolia's features. Suspicion, joy, pain, hope, confusion, but above all else was the stark light of betrayal in his eyes.

"Brother?"

Aiolos was nine years old again, raising his younger brother after their parents had died. Scarping by with what they could find on the streets until Shion had sensed their budding Cosmos and brought them to Sanctuary. Aiolia was looking at him with eyes big and wide, eyes that seemed too large for his sunken cheeks. He was looking for answers, pleading for them even. Would they eat that night? Where had their parents disappeared to? What had they done for life to be so cruel?

"Brother, why are you doing this?" Aiolos had no better answer for his brother that night than he had all those years ago.

"Move aside Aiolia." Aiolia, yes Aiolia. Not "brother". Not the boy he'd practically raised. He had to distance himself from the word, and all it tied him to. His fingers tightened in a fist, the dim light of the moon glinting off the black lacquer of the gauntlet he wore. "This doesn't involve you. I don't want to hurt you."

Deathmask let out a sinister laugh to Aiolos's right. "But that doesn't mean we won't." Of course Deathmask was better at this whole act than Aiolos himself was. After all, for Deathmask was it truly an act? Whatever death had done to him, it hadn't rid him fully of his cold and harsh nature.

Aiolia ignored Deathmask save for a slight tightening of his jaw. Yes, Aiolia would loathe Deathmask with his cruel disposition and lack of honour. A bubble of pride wanted to swell in Aiolos's chest, but no, he had to be cold, distant. He had to play his part for Athena's sake, as ironic as that thought seemed even as it came to his mind.

A beat of silence passed. The flames in the tower above continued to dwindle, burning away the precious time they had left until dawn. They couldn't be held here much longer. Inhaling deeply through his nose Aiolos stepped forward to pass his brother. No, to pass Aiolia he reminded himself.

Aiolia's hand shot out and grasped Aiolos's wrist. Gold on black glittered against one another in contrast. Surplice and Gold Cloth oddly mirrored the dark and fair hair of the brothers who donned their respective armours. "Aiolos, why are you doing this?" Aiolia demanded, his iron grip on Aiolos's arm preventing him from walking any further.

Their mission Aiolos reminded himself. Their mission was more important than anything else. Their mission which may destroy him body and soul, but he would eagerly face down death again if it meant succeeding.

He tore Aiolia's hand off his arm, holding it in a crushing grip as he let ice drip into his voice. "Aiolia, you had the chance to live longer than I ever had. You don't know what it's like to have life snatched from you so quickly, cast into that void of nothingness."

He could feel Deathmask and Aphrodite shudder behind him at the memories those words brought up. They had truly experienced that void and described to Aiolos in detail the maddening lack of sensation they'd endured. Aiolos had found himself somewhere else in death. Back in the land of the living he couldn't seem to recall it properly, but even trying to remember it brought an echo of warmth and peace to him like none he'd ever experienced in life.

"Hades offered the chance at life again." Somehow his words had to be enough. Somehow they had to convince his brother- no Aiolia to stand down and let them pass.

"But what about Athena?"

That was almost enough to break him. Aiolos could feel his throat constrict at the name of his goddess. His eyes left Aiolia's face, settling on the stone clock tower. The fifth flame on the clock was flickering now, nearing the end of its life. The only thing that kept him going was that reminder of how little time they had left.

"I died for Athena and she let me rot in the Underworld." Aiolos amazed even himself by the harshness in those words. "I will say it one more time Aiolia, move aside."

Aiolia searched his face, a desperation in his eyes that hadn't been there before. Whatever it was he'd been hoping to find, apparently it wasn't there, for Aiolia wrenched his arm free, and took a step back. "You're mistaken brother. I'm a Saint of Athena." There was a hardness in his voice now, as he slid one of his legs back and settled into a fighting stance. "Whatever you've come here to do, it involves me."

This wasn't how it should have been. He should be embracing his brother. Telling him how proud he was of the man he'd grown into. He should be fighting at his side, not facing off against him. Aiolos's instincts burned to explain. To tell Aiolia that what he was here to do was necessary. To tell him that every fibre in his being was protesting at the thought of what he was planning on doing, but that it had to be done.

There wasn't time to explain. Even more so, the risk that Hades would learn of the true reason for their oaths of loyalty was too great. The Lord of the Underworld could take away life as easily as he'd given it, and they couldn't let that happen. They had to see their mission through.

"So be it." Aiolos wondered if the others could hear his heart hardening as he spoke the words. There wasn't a thing he wouldn't do to reach Athena's chambers. There couldn't be. The world was at stake. He raised his own fists, and let his Cosmos flow. A dark aura surrounded him, so different than the golden light he'd known in life.

High above them the Leo flamed flickered once more, then disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

A/N- In the event that you couldn't tell, this is set in an AU (reffered to as the Fallen Angel AU) where Aiolos comes back as a Spectre as well. I think I probably messed up some of the timing, and technically DM/'Dite aren't supposed to get very far into Sanctuary, but meh, it's an AU so things can change.